Remember back in 2007 when Gillian Gibbons, the British teacher in Sudan who was arrested and locked up for blasphemy and released only after two of her British peers went over there and pleaded her case with President Omar al-Bashir.

Good news that Mrs Gibbons was released of course, but bad news that she had to depend on the “mercy” of this al-Bashir character after the British government went cap in hand to him.  Time was, if a foreign government violated the rights of a British citizen, the UK government would have sent a gunboat.

It’s not the Brits that should have been grovelling – al-Bashir should have got down on his knees and personally begged forgiveness from Mrs Gibbons for mistreating her.

So the Sudanese State thinks it’s an insult to Islam to give a teddy bear the same name as their so-called prophet?  So what?  Even if it had been a deliberate insult – which it doesn’t appear to have been – insulting religions is a perfectly legitimate activity.  All belief systems are open to criticism – any philosophy that doesn’t allow criticism, and even condones jail, fines and flogging to protect it’s image, has to have something seriously wrong with it.

Don’t take this as an attack on Islam in particular, or Muslims.  A lot of Muslims spoke out against the Sudanese court’s treatment of Mrs Gibbons, and it’s not as if Muslims are the only group who go in for trying to silence people they disagree with.

ROBONIX says that no state, no mob, no religion, no ethnic group and no individual has a right not to be offended.  If you disagree with what someone’s saying, you can ignore them or debate them – but the moment you use force to suppress them, using the excuse that their views or actions are too “offensive” for your idea of civilised society, then you’re admitting that you don’t have an argument.

There was a time in my life when the religion of my forefathers went unquestioned but the more I learn about chemistry, quantum physics and computer science the more religion seems like an allegorical representation of the true nature of the universe. The spooky man in the sky looking down on everything we do, seems more and more like a fairy tail, made up to keep us under control. Robonics recommends the viewing of this video, check the facts, study the bible and make up your own mind.

The ROBONIX guide to surviving Good Friday.

1) Stock up on all meat products two days before Good Friday.

2) If this isn’t possible, locate your nearest McDonald’s, Burger King, 7-11, or KFC. (this might be easier said than done in Mexico’s rural areas).

3) If any practicing catholics have access to your refrigerator (friend’s, family, maid etc..) hide the meat products where they can’t be found that easily.

4) When eating meat products on Good Friday try to disguise it if there are any Catholics around (cut off the edges of the ham to where the bread is overlapping, roll the ham up in tortillas) and any other way you can figure. The trick is to make it seam that your not enjoying the meal very much.

5) Don’t eat in the bathroom! What ever you do and no matter how much you miss meat products on this day, remember it’s just one day but the shame of having someone catch you eating in the bathroom can last a life time.

Remember in ROBONIX there is no sin there is only ideas and if you have to bite someone’s head of in order to eat meat on Good Friday, well! that’s an idea…